Here’s how to start your own e-commerce business
The universe has a funny way of pushing us into new opportunities sometimes, doesn’t it? I’ve spent the past year working on and launching my brand-new e-commerce marketplace, TINAH. But, yet if you’d asked me 2 years ago I always swore I would NEVER start an e-commerce business because frankly, I know how hard it is…
So What Changed?
Launching TINAH was not a spontaneous decision like most of my decisions usually tend to be; I’d actually been thinking about this business for a good couple of years before I decided to take the leap into launching it.
The seed for TINAH was planted when I lived in Bali back in 2022. After a long journey where I’d been focusing on improving my mental health and experimenting with various healing techniques, I had an idea for a business based on some of my own personal experiences. After months of consideration and discussions, and different iterations of business plans, I finally realized I couldn’t let this idea go. I had to pursue it.
Fast forward to the summer of 2023; I was nomading in Albania, and it became abundantly clear that it was time to launch my own e-commerce business in the mental health sector. I had been helping others start their e-commerce ventures, so why not take my own advice?
At the same time, I was launching my own online courses to support founders set up their e-commerce businesses, so I figured I could follow my own course to do the same. You can check out my course that I followed here!
What Is TINAH?
TINAH is a mental well-being marketplace, designed to support those who want to pursue their own self-healing journey. The name TINAH stands for “Time Is Not a Healer,” a phrase that has resonated deeply with me as I navigated my own mental health journey.
I wanted to share the products, services, apps, and routines that had helped me on my own personal development journey in reducing my anxiety and depression.
With no budget, I initially explored a dropshipping model to minimize costs. I sought out the best mental health products on the market to create a platform where individuals could find a variety of resources without the hassle of searching high and low – something you do not want to be doing if you are in the midst of a mental health crisis.
As I pitched the idea to brand partners, their feedback reinforced my belief that this marketplace was necessary. However, the business setup didn’t come without its challenges…
For years, I’ve been immersed in the world of e-commerce, helping multiple founders bring their ideas to life. I knew the ins and outs of launching a business, but as I started working on my own venture, I discovered new challenges that I hadn’t even anticipated before…
The Challenges I Encountered
- Building a Team on a Budget: Finding the right people who shared my vision and could work within my financial constraints was a challenge. It’s crucial to surround yourself with passionate individuals who can help elevate your brand.
- Adapting the Business Plan: Feedback from potential suppliers forced me to revisit my initial business plan. This required flexibility and a willingness to pivot, which is essential in the ever-changing landscape of e-commerce.
- Audience Building: With an ambitious idea, I quickly realized that having an audience is paramount. Without one, marketing efforts fall flat, and sales become a challenge.
- Big Ideas, Small Budget: It’s easy to dream big, but making those dreams a reality on a tight budget requires creativity and resourcefulness.
Bringing In A Business Partner
It was super important to me that I didn’t launch this business alone – I don’t have all the skills and expertise to launch a business on the scale of TINAH, plus given it’s a mental health business I wanted some more professionally qualified to be involved. One of my friends from Bali, who played a significant part in my own mental well-being journey, Kelsey, who has a background in psychology and high-performance coaching, expressed her desire to be involved. Our complementary skills made her the perfect fit for TINAH.
Where Did We Begin?
Building solid foundations: To get started, I revisited the core principles I teach in my online courses for aspiring e-commerce founders. This included conducting market research and defining my target audience, setting our mission, values, and vision, and mapping out our basic business plan.
Crafting the Brand Identity: Coming up with a name proved challenging, but after brainstorming various words related to mental health, the phrase “Time Is Not a Healer” emerged. The name encapsulated my mission and vision from there I started bringing the personality of TINAH to life with logos, color palettes, and fonts. Whilst I am by no means a graphic designer – Canva was a great help in creating those first drafts which I then got amended by a designer at a later date.
Product Sourcing: I quickly moved on to the next step: identifying the products I would offer. My background as a buyer for major fashion brands such as Ralph Lauren, Burberry, and Kate Spade gave me an edge in sourcing quality products and building relationships with brands, so we managed to secure quite a few on an affiliate and dropship model.
Building Brand Awareness: This has been our sticking point. Marketing has proved to be our biggest hurdle. With no budget to work with, raising awareness became a challenge. We’ve had to get creative, exploring different avenues to connect with our audience. Our primary marketing method right now is our podcast.
Launching: This is where we are right now TINAH is about to go live! We initially aimed to launch within three to six months, but reality dictated a more extended timeline.
As we navigate the launch of TINAH, we’re honing our marketing strategies and focusing on building wider awareness. So if you haven’t done so already I’d love it if you could go follow us, sign up to our mailing list, and subscribe to our podcast.
Are You Just Starting Out In Your E-Commerce Journey?
If you’re thinking about launching your own e-commerce business, I’ve compiled a 30-Day Action Plan based on my experiences with TINAH, from working with clients and also in my professional buying career. This guide includes strategic actions and mindset work to help you get started.
Remember, the first 30 days are critical. If you can maintain your passion and consistently take action, you’re on the right path to success.